1. Academic Programs
  2. Master’s Programs
  3. Master of Environmental Management — MEM
  4. MEM Specializations
  5. Climate Change Science and Solutions Specialization

Climate Change Science and Solutions Specialization

Human-induced climate change is one of the main drivers of the Anthropocene. The physical science of the earth's climate and its sensitivity to pollution is remarkably complex and an area of intense study. The resulting perturbations to the earth system permeate through and impact ecological and human systems.

On This Page

    Note that a capstone course used to fulfill the MEM capstone requirement cannot also be used toward fulfilling an MEM Specialization requirement; a capstone course taken once cannot be used to fulfill multiple requirements. Learn more about YSE capstone courses by visiting the MEM Capstone page.

    Program Courses

    Core

    Two required courses.
    Course Fall 2025 Spring 2026 Fall Spring
    ENV 630
    The Physical Science of Climate Change         		  Raymond
    ENV 840
    Climate Change Policy and Perspectives         		Klee
    M,W 1:00-2:20    		  

    Elective

    Students must complete four elective courses, one of which must be from the “Practicums and Seminars” bin. The remaining three courses may come from any of the four bins.

    Climate Mitigation

    Course Fall 2025 Spring 2026 Fall Spring
    ENV 594
    Global Carbon Cycle         		Denning
    M,W 9:00-10:20    		  
    ENV 610
    Managing Ecosystems for Climate Change Solutions         		Brando
    Tu,Th 1:00-2:20    		  
    ENV 635
    Renewable Energy Project Finance         		  Gross
    ENV 636
    Carbon Dioxide Removal         		O’Rourke
    M 2:30-5:20    		  
    ENV 646
    Regenerative Agriculture Systems         		  Wood
    ENV 696
    YFF:Tribal Forestry:         		  Dunning
    ENV 716
    Renewable Energy         		  Oristaglio
    Tentative
    ENV 730
    Environmental Data Science in R: Introduction to Data Integration and Machine Learning         		Malone
    Th 2:30-5:20    		  
    ENV 800
    Energy Economics and Policy Analysis         		  Gillingham
    ENV 814
    Energy Systems Analysis         		Rao
    M,W 9:00-10:20    		  
    ECON 331
    The Economics of Energy and Climate Change    		        
    EPS 274
    Fossil Fuels and Energy Transitions    		        
    EPS 725
    Geoengineering and Carbon Capture    		        
    ENAS 673
    Air Quality and Energy    		        
    GLBL 730
    Managing the Clean Energy Transition: Contemporary Energy and Climate Change Policy Making    		        

    Climate Impacts and Adaptation

    Course Fall 2025 Spring 2026 Fall Spring
    ENV 639
    Food Systems and Climate Services         		Hernandez-Aguilera
    Tu,Th 10:30-11:50    		  
    ENV 645
    Urbanization, Global Change and Sustainability         		Seto
    Tu 1:00-3:50    		  
    ENV 705
    Global Climate Change: Simple, Serious, and Solvable         		Denning
    M,W 1:00-2:15    		  
    ENV 725
    Water, Energy, and Food Interconnections in a Changing Climate         		  Saiers
    ENV 734
    Biological Oceanography         		  Decker
    ENV 773
    Air Pollution Control (APC)         		Gentner
    M,W 9:00-10:15    		  
    ENV 793
    Abrupt Climate Change and Societal Collapse         		  Weiss
    Tentative
    ENV 819
    Measuring and Visualizing Urban Environments         		  Salazar Miranda
    ENV 828
    Risk Assessment & Management: Climate Change         		  Wargo
    EHS 547
    Climate Change and Public Health    		        
    EHS 547
    Climate Change and Public Health    		        
    EPH 571
    Seminar in Climate Change and Health    		        
    EPS 140
    Atmosphere, Ocean, and Environmental Change    		        

    Climate & Society

    Course Fall 2025 Spring 2026 Fall Spring
    ENV 761
    Negotiating International Agreements: The Case of Climate Change         		Biniaz
    M 1:30-3:20    		  
    ENV 792
    Climate Change Communication         		Leiserowitz
    M,W 10:30-11:50    		  
    ENV 850
    International Organizations and Conferences         		Boyd
    M,W 9:00-10:20    		  
    ENV 878
    Climate and Society: Past to Present         		Dove
    Th 1:30-3:20    		  
    ANTH 791
    Paleoclimate and Human Response    		        
    ECON 432
    Economics of Social Catastrophes: Climate Change and Pandemics    		        
    HIST 459J (Yale College course)
    Climate Change and the Humanities    		        

    Practicums and Seminar Classes

    Course Fall 2025 Spring 2026 Fall Spring
    ENV 632
    Intro to Social Entrepreneurship         		  Chahine
    Tentative
    ENV 959
    Clinic in Climate Justice, and Public Health         		Carrion
    Th 1:00-2:50    		  
    ENV 966
    Sustainability Implementation: Change Management in Institutional Settings         		Smiley Smith
    Th 9:00-11:50    		  
    ENV 970
    Environmental Protection Clinic Policy and Advocacy (Follows Law School Calendar)         		Kysar
    Tu 12:10-2:00    		 Kysar
    ENV 979
    Climate Solutions Capstone: Sub-National Actors         		  Klee
    Climate Change Illustration

    Learning Community

    There is a corresponding “Learning Community” for each MEM Specialization, where anyone interested in the topic can find related news, spotlights, colleagues, and events.

    Explore the Community

    Faculty Coordinator

    Staff Manager